When we bought lot 38 at Traverse Bay RV Resort last August, it seemed like FOREVER before we would be able to enjoy our little slice of paradise. After ten long months, we finally arrived to our “new to us” summer home. We are ready to experience the quintessential northern Michigan summer. 

Within hours of arrival, our friends Kunio and Michelle escorted us to a resort-hosted Margaritaville party. What a fun way to get introduced to this wonderful community! 

Within a few days they took us to their favorite winery, Brys Estate Vineyard on the Old Mission Peninsula and to Moomers Ice Cream, which is now our favorite place on Earth! We are so lucky to have such great friends here to help us navigate the important stops. 

Within a week our first set of visitors arrived. Steve’s parents Judy and Larry came all the way from Arizona to join Steve’s brother Brian and his family here in Traverse City. In all there were 11 of us here at one time, and every day was a new adventure. 

One day Lydia and I went zip lining, and on other days, we went shopping in downtown Traverse City. The group stayed at the Tamarack Lodge, situated on the beach of Grand Traverse Bay, so we hit the water with the kayaks, played sand volleyball, and roasted s’mores over the fire. The boys played golf on three mornings.

Torch Lake is one of the most beautiful lakes in northern Michigan. Our day on the double decker pontoon, complete with sun deck and slides, was a blast. We took turns on the jet skis, took the paddle board out a bit, and plunged into the still cool water as the day pressed on. Even though there were some mean sunburns, everyone seemed to have a blast.

Our visit to Sleeping Bear Dunes took the group out to the massive dune climb, but on a cold and windy day, no one took up the challenge. We did get a great group photo of almost everyone from the overlook.

Traverse City has been abuzz with activity for the past few weeks with the National Cherry Festival taking place while the crew was here. We watched the Blue Angels in the air show on Saturday afternoon while Lydia rode ride after ride after ride at the carnival. I made it one time on the Tilt-A-Whirl and gave up my riding privileges. Spending Lydia’s 12th birthday at the festival made for an extra-special celebration.

After most of the crew departed, we were lucky enough to have a little time to spend with Zach and Gibson before they caught their flight back to Chicago. And what do two 25 year olds want to do for a few hours in Traverse City? Wine tasting, of course! We visited Chateau Chantal and Mari Vineyards before the boys caught their flight home. 

The day after Brian’s crew left, we welcomed my cousin Mitch to Traverse City. He left 115 degree temperatures in Phoenix and seemed happy to be here in our 75 degree weather. Even the occasional rain shower didn’t seem to dampen his spirit! In our week with Mitch we visited wineries, hiked in Sleeping Bear Dunes, walked through the Cherry Festival, and checked out numerous local breweries and distilleries. Steve and Mitch also participated in the Cherry Scramble Golf Event as part of the Festival. 

Mitch’s visit coincided with Independence Day, so he was able to join us in the resort’s activities. Our day began with a parade in which I had the honor of riding in Kunio and Michelle’s cart. Even Bob sat out to watch the parade of over a dozen spectacularly decorated vehicles pass by. 

When we haven’t had visitors, we’ve been enjoying our new community, participating in happy hours, the book club, the ladies luncheon, and volunteering at the community breakfast. We’ve taken the kayaks and bikes out and hope to do even more of that as the summer rolls on. Up here there’s a festival, event, or farmers market nearly every day. We try to get out as much as possible to enjoy the activities, but there’s just so much to do! 

You can be sure there will be more updates ahead, when we can find the time to sit down to write! Hope your summer is going well!